Kuro to Shiro (黒と白)
by iPoly
Summary: It was like a game. One which they played for the thrill of testing one another's resolve, pushing the bounds of the love that blossomed between them in the years after the war. Such was the way of Black and White. Some Citrus, many allusions to such, and bits of worldbuilding. A collection of short entries. A challenge accepted. Companion to Taiyō no Michi (太陽の道).
1. Entry - I

**To College n Curls: Challenge Accepted!**

* * *

There were things in this world that she wouldn't change.

A young couple strolling hand-in-hand through the glowing streets of Konoha's East District during the bi-weekly festival.

A mother running with her child through the vast, lush fields of Konoha's outer reaches.

A dark haired boy sleeping soundly in her arms.

A small smile on his face when his eyes meet hers.

The whispered words of affection when no-one could hear.

The sweet kisses when they walk together.

The hope for children.

The game they play, hiding their love behind masks of indifference when in the company of their peers.

Such was the way of Black and White.


	2. Entry - II

"You should try it on."

She held the orange shirt in front of him, the bright blue swirl at its centre the onyx eyed man's focus.

He didn't look amused.

Quite the contrary, he seemed _wounded_. Insulted, perhaps, that she would even suggest him buying an Uzumaki-themed shirt.

"Hinata..."

She smiled sweetly up at him, lowering the shirt a little.

It was how they had noticed one another first.

They were in a clothing store, much like this one, and he had been scrutinising one of the countless "Shinobi Hero" T-shirts that were on sale.

She had even said the same thing to him.

The only difference was that at the time she had bought one of the shirts.

Now... she thought that, maybe, an Uchiha fan would look better on her.

"Let's go."

Rather it was because he didn't like the shirt, or because people had started to gape at them, she didn't know.

But as they weaved through the crowd, he didn't try to hide their linked hands or their laced fingers.

She didn't mind it much, but it was a break from their game.

Maybe he had given up?

She wouldn't mind that, either.

It would be a relief, if she were being honest.

Then they could chase each other openly.

Like Yin and Yang.

Night and Day.

Evil and Good.

Black and White.


	3. Entry - III

**A/N - I have to keep these short, else I'll break the 300 word rule. :O**

 **Thank you all! And, I'm sorry that I can't please everyone. Haha :D**

* * *

They stood together in his living room.

Swaying slowly to the gentle music that she'd chosen.

It had long been a fantasy of hers, to share so simple an experience as dancing with her partner.

He held her close, one hand on the small of her back and the other holding her own.

She leaned on him, the hand that wasn't holding his draped over his shoulder, their foreheads resting together as they waltzed slowly across the carpeted floor dressed in nothing but pyjamas.

He wore soft black pants and nothing more, while she was dressed in a white nightgown.

 _Very fitting_ , a more talkative part of her offered as she touched his lips with her own.

She was surprised when he had suggested that they dance when they'd gotten to his apartment that evening.

She was sure that he would be upset with her for suggesting that shirt to him.

But, he was as gentle with her now as he always was.

Minutes after the music faded, they stood together, still.

Her lips moulded into his the way that her body did as he gathered her in his arms.

And for a moment, she couldn't tell where she ended and he began.

It felt like they were one in the same, the way she often imagined.

Connected, as they were on many nights.

Adjoined.

The gave one another purpose, like opposites often did.

The way that summer and winter gave one another purpose.

The divines and the devils.

The sun and the moon.

Or white.

And black.


	4. Entry - IV

He looked peaceful when he slept.

As peaceful as the night was, with the blue-white light of the moon pouring in through the fluttering curtains.

She was lying atop him, his arms around her waist, her arm folded on his naked chest beneath her head.

Every inch of her bare body was pressed to his, and as he slept beneath her she listened intently to his steady heartbeat.

They didn't sleep this way often, anymore.

The two were usual more clothed.

Her lips curved upward with the onset of laughter.

He wouldn't ever admit it, but she knew that her Uchiha was a big softie.

He enjoyed the little cuddles that they shared, and their late night pillow talks.

He was especially fond of spooning, though he never let _her_ be the big spoon.

The woman shifted slightly in his arms, lying flat against him, her arms folded underneath her chin.

"Sasuke..." she whispered, wiggling a little to see if he would stir.

When no reply came, save for a quiet exhale, she wormed her way up until she was close enough to kiss him.

Brushing his raven-black hair aside, and cupping his cheek, she pecked him on the lips.

She took a moment to study him before she snuggled into his warmth again, feeling strong arms tighten around her and light lips brush her forehead.

"I love you..." he mumbled matter-of-factly, like it were something well-known and saying it wasn't worth any more effort than was absolutely necessary.

Still, it always caught her off guard when he said it, but she loved it more every time.

It was a simple delight.

One that she wouldn't ever take for granted.

Because, she knew he felt the same.

"I love you, too..."


	5. Entry - V

She didn't notice the door clicking quietly, or the thump of boxes in the living room when he came in.

The woman had been preparing their breakfast for a quarter of an hour, and as she chopped tomatoes for their omelettes she hummed quietly to herself, hips swaying in a little dance.

But his hands taking a firm hold on her waist, and his lips brushing gently over her pulse, earned a quiet yelp from the woman.

In her temporary panic, she could've taken off a finger... or worse.

Ruined the _tomatoes_ she had grown to love.

"I got you something."

His words held an unusually upbeat edge, and though that was... _worrying_... she nodded.

"Okay..." she said, still breathless, "just give me a minute to finish."

"I'll finish it."

She laughed a little at that, continuing to chop the tomatoes until he took her wrist, slipping the blade from her hand.

He repeated, now more sternly, "I'll finish it."

"Last time you made breakfast, we had to eat out."

He still nudged her over, crimson Sharingan swirling to life as he began chopping the tomatoes in her stead.

"The black one is mine," he said, kissing her cheek.

"You get the white one."

For a moment she watched him, but she soon gave in, sighing as she untied the apron and left the kitchen.

She didn't know what he meant by that, but a riddle was always fun.

So, after poking around the living room and finding nothing but a pair of empty boxes, she padded back to the bedroom, peeking inside the laundry room on her way there.

When she opened their bedroom door, there they were.

A pair of kittens rolling around together on the soft carpeting, one black and one white.


	6. Entry - VI

**Congratulations, Wandering Ship! You** **wi-**

* * *

"What are their names?"

She sat in the bed, legs crossed, running her fingers slowly through the puffy white fur of her own kitten while its black-furred counterpart pawed at the dark curtains.

He shrugged after pulling his shirt off, slinging it over his shoulder and seeming to give some consideration.

"Yin and Yang," the woman offered, "or... Kaesaru and Surutan?"

He turned to her, a strange expression on his face as he scrutinised her, his nose scrunched up like he'd smelled something unpleasant.

"Ew..."

She smiled, leaning back and letting the kitten hop from her lap.

Never had she thought that she would have to name a cat, much less two.

She had always thought of getting a dog, since it was what she'd thought that Naruto would want.

But, now that she was sitting in the room with a pair of obsidian eyes watching her, waiting for her to offer something else, she realised that a cat was much more fitting than a dog.

Like him, cats were quiet and calculating, and though they tried to hide it the way that he did, they had playful sides.

They were elegant, often silent, and were always alert.

Dogs were not.

They were loud and craved attention, and were always ready to play.

They were adventurous, reckless.

More like Naruto.

"Then... what about Taiyō and Tsuki?"

One kitten jumped from the bed and the other pounced.

"Or... Kuro and Shiro?"


	7. Entry - VII

He had been gone all day, and she took the time to go out to buy trays for Kuro and Shiro, one black and one white.

She had to label them herself, though, and with nothing more than copy paper and translucent tape she'd gotten the job done.

After a few hours of playing, around midday, the twin kittens had exhausted themselves.

Kuro had curled up on the floor behind the curtains, and Shiro was at the foot of the bed.

And, now it was quiet.

She was chopping vegetables, her hand moving as fast as time flowed slow, when the first knock sounded from the front door.

Her first reflex was to look _through_ the door to see who was there, but...

 _"No Byakugan inside."_

A second, stronger knock echoed throughout the quiet house.

Turning on the faucet, the Hyūga ran her hands under the cool water before wiping them on her apron, switching the water back off before walking around the bar to get the door.

As soon as she unlocked and opened the door, a familiar voice rang out loud and clear: "Hey, teme!"

She smiled slightly, bumping the raised fist with her own as the blond watched her with a look halfway between confusion and disbelief.

"Hinata..." he squinted at her, before a second, softer voice spoke.

"What are you doing at Sasuke's house?"

She didn't know why she hadn't expected that question, but rather than panicking, she composed herself and answered smoothly, the way she knew Sasuke would have.

"Uchiha-san asked me to house-sit while he's out. He's got kittens, now, and they can't be left alone."

Tucking stray strands ink-blue hair behind her ear, she offered: "Would you like to wait for him, inside?"


	8. Entry - VIII

She'd always been terrified of Haruno Sakura.

Ever since she saw the woman's first sparring match at the academy.

The fight hadn't exactly been _fair_ , despite the strange ash jutsu that the dark haired girl used against her.

So, after that, she had avoided the pinkette like her life depended on it, because it probably did.

Though, she'd thought that her pink hair was unparalleled in its exoticism... while it was still _pink_.

As she sat two cups of tea on the living room table, one for the Haruno and another for Naruto, her eyes wandered to the woman's shoulder-length, _white_ tresses.

"Thanks, Hinata-san."

Her hair had been white for almost three years, now, ever since she left the village in pursuit of a masked woman.

She'd not mentioned it since then, but something had to have happened.

She seemed more distant, now, than when she was young.

"You're welcome, Haruno-san..."

Pale eyes met green, and for a moment she could almost _feel_ the woman's gaze peering just a bit deeper than her eyes.

Her parted lips were proof of that, and the gentle, unusually _warm_ smile was almost as startling as the prospect that she'd had her mind read.

"Congratulations."

Hinata froze for a split second before pulling herself together, though before she could ask what that was supposed to mean, the door opened.

She hadn't even noticed the knob turning.

The Uchiha's obsidian eyes swept over the room before he let out a quiet breath, stepping around the couch when Naruto sprang to his feet.

"Teme! What took you..."

Two pairs of eyes watched them—one set _horrified_ , and the other expectant—when he pressed his lips softly to her cheek.

"I'm home."


	9. Entry - IX

_"I'm home."_

Her mind was still swimming after his little display, and it had been a full fifteen minutes since he'd done it.

She was sitting on the couch, now, trying to calm the pounding of her heart, and he was sitting beside her, arms folded as he listened to the endless questions from Naruto.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THIS?"

He was basically shouting it, and a part of her could understand why.

"I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE FRIENDS, TEME! WHY ARE YOU BETRAYING MY TRUST?"

Beside her, the Uchiha shrugged, "I didn't know that I was supposed to tell you everything about my private life, Naruto."

"BUT, THIS IS IMPORTANT, TEME!"

He froze for a moment, a look of horror replacing the betrayed expression he wore.

The blond took a step forward, "You didn't _force_ Hinata, did you?"

Black eyes met white, and though the other two probably could tell, the subtle narrowing of his eyes and the way that they flicked to her lips told exactly how he felt about the prospect.

She dropped her gaze immediately, pressing her knees just a little tighter together, a bit flustered by the sudden upsurge of heat at the juncture of her thighs.

"No," he replied, a the workings of a growl lacing his voice, "not yet. Though, now that you mention it, it's quite tempting."

That answer was obviously unexpected, because Naruto didn't reply immediately, the way he'd been doing before.

Even _Sakura_ hadn't seen that coming, and she had a history of seeing things coming.

She knew, because when she finally looked up, the white haired woman was blushing almost as brightly as she knew that she was.

And when their eyes met, the Haruno averted her gaze.


	10. Entry - X

"Thanks, Hina-nē."

The brunette grinned as she tugged off the blue shirt, the Sarutobi insignia dark on its back.

She'd arrived while Naruto and Sakura were still there, and after an hour or so of her and the blond joking and gossiping between themselves, the Jinchūriki and the whitette dragged him off to have rāmen.

"Tō-sama would've killed me."

They shared a brief smile, both understanding well their father's... _distaste_ for the idea of his daughters marrying into other clans.

It hadn't been as bad for Hinata, because the idea of an arranged marriage between her and Sasuke had been offered by the elders when she was young, but it was something else entirely for Hanabi.

She was their father's favourite, the prodigy of the two, and the designated heiress of the Hyūga clan.

Hinata had accepted it years ago, though it didn't ever stop her from training, even if her father didn't approve of her disregard for taijutsu in favour of kenjutsu.

"Don't worry about it, Hana."

She took the garment, handing over one of the few shirts she had that still bore the Hyūga flame, a cream coloured shirt with a white collar and cuffs.

As the girl pulled it on, Hinata took the moment to note how much her sister had grown since she left the Hyūga compound to live in the North District.

She was about shoulder-height, standing upright, and her brown hair was longer than Hinata's own midnight blue tresses were, falling well below her shoulders rather than being cut at them.

Her lashes were longer, her lips fuller, and her body more shapely, overall, than just a year ago.

Standing with her now, she could see how she'd wooed Sarutobi Konohamaru.


	11. Entry - XI

She and Hanabi had dinner without Sasuke, spending most of that time talking about _him_ and Konohamaru.

They touched briefly on Naruto, but the subject was short-lived because a certain Sarutobi came up.

The woman loved listening to her sister talk, especially about things that she loved.

Even if it always circled back to the boy.

But sitting up with the girl well into the night, or rather _lying_ on the guest room floor with her while she listened to the numerous stories about how she managed to sneak Konohamaru into the compound, was still exhausting.

Or about how she snuck out of the compound to see him.

It reminded the elder sister a lot of herself, though she hadn't ever been so brazen as to try sneaking Sasuke _in._

The sun was rising by the time that the two finally fell asleep, and her own sleep was heavy and dreamless.

She didn't know if she could say the same thing for Hanabi, who was bubblier than ever while they ate dinner the following morning, taking the liberties of feeding Kuro and Shiro.

The brunette seemed especially fond of Kuro.

"Hina-nē?"

The woman in question looked up from the book she'd curled up on the couch to read, one of many of the Icha Icha novels that Hatake Kakashi had gifted her on her sixteenth birthday.

"Hm?"

"When does Sasu-nī get back?"

She shrugged, glancing to the clock, "Whenever Haruno-san and Naruto-san let him go, I guess."

Whenever he went out with those two, it was more likely than not that they'd drag him off to train after eating, or before so, and then make him go on whatever S-Rank mission they could get.

She had gotten used to it.


	12. Entry - XII

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The sun had only just begun to dip below the distant horizon, it's glow streaking the pink sky with orange, bathing the white covered streets of the village in a warm, golden light.

The snow crunched beneath her boots as she lugged the bags she carried up the stairs.

Stairs which seemed a bit more hostile now that they were covered by slick, icy armour.

She fumbled with the key for a moment before it found its home, and she pushed the door open as fast as her trembling arms would allow.

It took all hey willpower to hold the whimper she felt rumbling in her throat when she was met with a burst of warmth.

And by the sound of hushed swearing.

The Hyūga pushed the door shut behind her with a foot and looked to the source of the sound.

Dark hair and darker eyes, pale arms and baggy black pants.

A layer or two of white strips wrapped rather firmly around his abdomen and lower chest.

A patch of the same colour born upon his left cheek.

Sasuke sat cross legged on the carpeted floor, shooing away Kuro as he twisted and snapped and twisted and snapped the limbs of the white Christmas tree that he pulled from its box, piece by piece.

But Kuro only kept coming back, pawing at the box and the tree itself, while Shiro sat, dignified, on the bar.

She felt a smile starting to curve her lips, and was certain that he did, too, because his hands stopped and those dark eyes turned on her.

Hotter than usual.

"I tried to make tea."

He frowned, returning his gaze to the tree and continuing to struggle with it.

"You shouldn't drink it."


End file.
